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Chockstone Forum - General Discussion

General Climbing Discussion

 Page 2 of 2. Messages 1 to 20 | 21 to 23
Author
Returning to climbing after 29 YEARS!

kuu
23-Dec-2014
3:25:04 PM
On 23/12/2014 deep Van Winkle wrote:
>Hi Kevin, I don't know if we ever shared a campfire but to get a better
>handle on you I pulled out my prized Ewbank 1967 'Rock Climbs in the Blue
>Mountains' guide, flipped it open and almost straight away came across
>Hocus Pocus grade 8 The first ascent of the (Mt Piddington) cliff.
>A very fine climb indeed. K. Westren, Miss (how quaint) M. Hallston
>(1964).

I don't recall sharing a campfire with you but that could be because my brain is getting old ;-)

Meg Hailstone, better known these days as Meg McKone, is a regular contributor to WILD Magazine, often writing about exploratory walks in Central Australia and such places.

Earlier this year. Meg and I did a repeat ascent of Hocus Pocus to mark the 50th Anniversary of the FA in 1964. We didn't do the climb in quite the original style in that we used modern harnesses and shoes, and I must admit to having clipped some of the bolts that now dot the route.

deep Van Winkle
23-Dec-2014
10:48:54 PM
Thanks for the background.
Holy dooley, I just noticed 1958 1st ascents on the Rhum Dhu by you, that's practically when I was born. Although I met NSW climbers all over Australia I only ever climbed in the Sydney/Bluies area once. On a trip in mid '76 as the late Col Reece's apprentice, I visited the East Coast for the first time. After being rained out of the Bungles we hit Sydney where over a few days Mike Law took us to the Manly seacliffs, Lindfield rocks, the Wolgan Valley and Mt Piddington.
At Piddo Mikl led me up Tombstone Wall 15 for my first taste of Bluies sandstone. I noticed that his kernmantel rope was somewhat stiff and I wasn't sure if it had been white originally or faded to that shade, also when given a snappy bend it sent up a little dust cloud. Anyway I pushed any concerns aside and started following up confident in the the knowledge that I was accompanying someone who generated vast amounts of column space in Thrutch's new developments sections. About halfway up I started to hesitate a bit wondering whether pulling on small sandstone holds in the carefree manner I was accustomed to on Araps quartzite was a good idea. A slightly concerned Mikl leant over the top and informed me that it was probably allright but maybe best if I didn't actually come onto the rope as it was Ewbank's old one and from whom he had purchased it. Needless to say I made sure I didn't come off anything that day.
He probably didn't use it for hard new routes but reserved it especially for visiting interstaters, say when he had them on some seacliff sandbag fighting back terror he could compound it by saying "Oh by the way regarding the rope it might be best if you ...."
hero
28-Dec-2014
1:59:49 PM
Ok. I have memories for you. Rapping into Primary at Buffalo and forgetting the lead rope.You spending an hour prussiking out.

Or being Mr Vivacious at a Melbourne party after Lou suggested all climbers were socially inept.

Welcome back Eddy.


 Page 2 of 2. Messages 1 to 20 | 21 to 23
There are 23 messages in this topic.

 

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